How nasty is your Macaw?

[wagoncab]

I have a B&G Macaw that is now 7 yrs old. Had her since she was a baby. This bird hangs on the sides of the cage and poops all down the sides,out onto the floor and down the wall. It is disgusting, nasty and unhealthy. I have to put paper on the wall and on the floor to catch the projectile poop.
It is impossible to keep the cage clean and I can't do it anymore.
Does anyone else birds do this?
Bird needs a new home.

 

[SailBoat]

To provide a specific and pointed comment would likely get a member band from this Forum. Since I have no interest is being that person, I can only say: since 2010, where have you been? If your want after seven years is to simply 'dump' MAC, I would recommend that you create a Post that Defines Your Want to Place Your MAC with a Forever Home.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Our macaw is a rescue, and came to us knowing to go back to a perch and not poop on a person. Yours may think that sending poop far outside the cage is cleaner than dropping it inside. If I had to poop in a cage, there's no monkey could beat me for flinging distance.

Large parrots really do require a tremendous amount of energy and attention to be good companions. There is a lot of training that must be done, which requires both the human and the parrot to understand one another. This takes time: a lot of focused time on the part of the human, who lives outside that cage and has all the real power in the relationship, to learn to understand what the bird needs and wants and figure out how to move things in the right direction. There is no quick fix or easy solution. It's either spend multiple hours a day learning to partner with the bird, or go on the way things are.

It doesn't sound as if things are going that great. It may be that you just don't have the time and energy for the parrot. To relinquish care for a young parrot like this is not good, but it is better than a world where the parrot doesn't have loving interactions and a stimulating, engaged life with its human. You sort of have to come to crisis with this, and decide if you are willing and able to do a complete 180 turn around in your relationship, and commit to the bird. If you do that, you may have a long road ahead of you and many difficult hours but in the end you will have a relationship like no other. If not, then it would be best for your parrot to post in the other forum and ask for a new caregiver to accept your bird. Your bird will be happier and you will be happier.

Only remember: never get another parrot. Think what you would say to a parent who sent their child to the orphanage because it wasn't potty trained by age seven, then decided to have another child. A new parrot won't be any easier or less demanding. If they do start off easier, they will likely go to the same place - because the relationship depends 90% on you and only 10% on the bird. It's not fair to an innocent parrot to put them into a situation where they are likely to wind up being abandoned. A parrot is a lifetime comittment: to love and honor and cherish just as in a marriage. You might find the smaller birds, who have less need of interaction and smaller poops, to be a better fit, but birds are not ornaments to our lives. They are living creatures with hearts and minds and needs.

I myself am not a good parrot person. I don't want to give up as much of my free time and attention for seventy years with a flying toddler with a knife on its face. I do the best I can with the bird I am partly responsible for, and lean heavily on the members of this forum for understanding and support when I am feeling like a failure. They keep me lifted up, which helps me to do right by the bird. If you wish to make a deep revolution in your relationship with your own bird I am sure you will find the same loving support as I find. Alternatively I know you will be supported in finding a good placement for your macaw. There's no shame in letting him go to a better situation for you both.

 

[wagoncab]

Thank you Sailboat for opening my eyes. You are right, I clearly do not belong here.

 

[Loko]

Tennessee Bird Rescue Groups

Please find a loving home for this bird if you dont want to care for it. All animals, including humans poop.

 

[Flboy]

Thank you Sailboat for opening my eyes. You are right, I clearly do not belong here.

Please, that is so so not what he meant! You are frustrated and burned out, I understand!
We can help you in what ever direction you need to go! Your post shows your desperation, please work with us! We want what is best for your baby! FYI, from my limited knowledge, your guy is hitting his hormones and life is very tough for him!

 

[Teknogeddon]

I actually prepared for this before bringing Chasca home, granted she's a smaller Macaw. I got command strips and a large sheet of acrylic plastic and mounted it on the wall behind her cage. Catches any stray drips and throwing of the food.
In addition, I got an industrial grade, water proof carpet (she never touches it, such a shoulder bird this one).

I sit her on her stand and clean it all once a week. The mat means I can just pick it up, take it to a window or outside and shake it out. Vacuuming is easier this way too. No stains on the carpet either.

The wall I can clean with some easy window cleaner (vingear and water/ natural cleaners), or if NECESSARY, unattach from the command strips ( and thus wall - Since yanno- velcro!) and wipe it off in the bathtub. Just remember to position the cage so that the plastic is out of beak range or you may have the bird pulling it off the wall. I can provide a picture if you would like to see how I did this.

For Chas's cage, this was around 75 dollars to get set up. I imagine a bigger bird would require bigger mats, but I've seen some "Patio" rugs that would do nicely for around 20 bucks. The acrylic would be the hardest part, perhaps 2 side by side.

I clean her cage one a week and she stays pretty easy to care for.

Take the grill grate out of your cage if you have one. I've found it's more hassle than it's worth. No sense scrubbing a large thing that protects your bird from paper it never touches anyway.

In another sense, you could always try potty training.

Granted, if you're willing to give up on them after 7 years, just because they started making more of a mess...? I'm not really sure what to tell you. Just dont make any rash decisions- you may regret them!

 

[SilleIN]

I have mounted window boxes on the outside of my cages. They really don't want poop on them and since they are a lot on their cages, they do their best not to get poop on their cage. I put wood pellets in the bottom of the window boxes to absorb the wet parts and to stop it from splashing anywhere, if it's watery.

I hope you, once you have calmed down, is willing to give your baby a chance. I find it hard to believe you have had a macaw for 7 years without getting emotionally attached to her. I would be devastated if I had to give any of my babies up.

 

[wrench13]

Just re-read your first post, when you fell in love with this baby macaw, Cindy. And the others where you were concerned about feeding him right, and keeping him warm. Wht happened in the intervening 7 years, dear, that it has come to this? I cant help but think there is still a loving Mom to your macaw in there. We would like to help both you and your bird, since re-homing him will be the start of some bad psycologicl damage to him. Plese let us help.